Over the holiday weekend we decided to take the kids on a little trip. I had heard amazing things about the Columbus Zoo and we had yet to attempt a hotel stay with the little ones so why not try it?
Looking back I could have given myself several reasons not to try it but nonetheless we did it anyway.
Here are a few things I learned about traveling with young children:
1. No matter how many pacifiers you pack, you will lose every. single. one.
2. Suckers are great for short car rides, suckers during long car rides = sugar high while STILL IN THE CAR.
3. Nothing makes a three year old boy go from a whining stupor to contagious laughter like his mom saying the word “butt.”
4. When your child is on the verge of a meltdown that will spread like wild fire you will sing a song about anything to make him laugh. (see #3)
5. Hotel rooms are not toddler-proof.
6. The only place to go to escape a non toddler-proofed hotel room is another non toddler-proofed destination.
7. One child who will not go to sleep in a hotel room = all children not sleeping in a hotel room.
8. A zoo, no matter how amazing, is not quite as amazing to a family full of sleep deprived children.
9. Rides are only as good as their height requirement. (How many kids are actually over 48 inches anyway?)
10. Nothing, not meltdowns or sleep deprivation or blocking your children from a park full of rides they are too small for, can take away from the magic of exploring a new place through their eyes.
And the next morning when they wake up happy to be home? You tell yourself you would do the whole trip over again just for the reminder that they are right where they belong.
What is your best tip for traveling with young children?
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Bring the grandparents! We sat in the back with the kids…one grandparent to each kid! We behaved well, I promise. See the blog right before or right after to see our pics…we were only with 2…but one was potty training!!
Writerly Wanna Be
Travelling with children can test a parents sanity to be sure. When we took our now oldest on a 4 1/2 hour flight when he was almost two I did a few things that made the trip bearable. I investing in some hot wheels (his latest obsession at that ti me) and instead of just giving them to him all at once. I wrapped each one up individually in tissue paper and a decent amount of tape so it was like opening a present. So he would spend time trying to get the “surprise” out and then would play with the car for awhile. Since we were flying I could read books to him. We also brought coloring books and crayons and one of those doodle boards.
We are leaving tomorrow for a 3 1/2 hour car ride with our three boys ages 8, 5 and 1. The 8 and 5 year olds will do great and I’m hoping they will help to entertain the 1 year old. Crossing fingers and toes that it goes smoothly and you can bet your bottom dollar that this momma will be bringing alcohol for when we arrive at our destination!
We look for hotels with suites. JDaniel get to sleep on a sofa bed all by himself.
Oh I am so sorry for your experience, but it only reminds me why I am so giddy about our vacation next week. We have vacationing in Myrtle Beach since my oldest was 3 and my middle was 1. the children and I go without my hubby (doesn’t do the beach or hang with my BIL) and meet my parents and sister there. It can be utterly exhausting. I think the worst was when my baby was 1, and my older two were 5 and 7 and on our plane ride home they announced the toilet was broken so no potty trips- I swear everyone at the gate was shooting me the evil eye.
But the reason I am so giddy is because my children are now 5, 9, and 11 and they are such experienced travelers that I know we are so going to rock this trip. Really it will be a so much easier than the past years. (of course now that I have said this someone is bound to get sick or something)
So I guess my advice would be to keep traveling with them because in a few years you will have the ultimate pay off – children who are experienced and savvy travelers.
I\’m impressed that you travel with them all on a plane on your own but I bet they are great travelers now. Looking forward to the day that our vacations are more like vacations!
Oh the joys! Loved the pictures. My best tip for traveling with young kids? Mommy brings vodka. For Mommy! Not for the kids…don’t get Nancy Grace on the phone yet. =)
I know, if only I had brought wine!
You can do Disney – you can do it … the magic they will see thro those young eye’s will make up for it … and they serve alcohol EVERYWHERE!
Oh my gosh, I am laughing so hard. You wrote suckers and I was like, yay, that’s a great tip and then oops. Not so much 😉
We haven’t traveled much at all. The prospect of driving anywhere seems like a nightmare to me. But hey, I’ll remember this for sure.
At least they are super cute, eh?
Exactly, the cuteness factor saves them every time. Although I\’m not sure we will be taking another road trip any time soon.
SOOO very sweet. That baby goat is ALMOST as cute as your babies.
But the goat probably wouldn’t laugh at your butt songs. Even if he were sleep-deprived.
And he’d chew all the lollipops.
So yep. Stick with the kids.
XO
I will take my kids over a goat any day. Unless the goat will let me sleep in and potty trains easily.
Ha ha. Hilarious. Love these. All sooo true.
They are so cute and happy! I learned that for long rides or flights, giving out jelly beans one at a time as necessary really helps.
I need to get better at the one at a time technique.
we’ve learned to always get a suite or two adjoining rooms…and since we live in S FL, we tend to go to WDW and all that other stuff at least once every few months, and we tell each other-the kids will breakdown and cry, everyone will be cranky and sleep deprived, we’re going to yell at them-BUT at the end of the trip everyone will be smiley and remembering the fun we had between all the chaos..
and we’re going to Disney for a week at the end of the month-pray for me…
Disney for a week? That is brave. I’m not sure I’m up for that one, a day at the zoo almost did me in :).
#3…. ummm, sorry to break that to you, but it also stands true for 4yo, 5 yo,6 yo, 7 yo, 8 yo boys as well. I am waiting for us to outgrow that stage. I have heard the rumor that it also is true for grown-up males as well.
I think that rumor may be true.
Lovely moments, lovely lessons. And yes about the magic. And the pacifiers. 🙂
love this post, my husband has dubbed me “the vacation avoider” and it is a title i wear with pride for all the reasons you just listed. that said, we are at the beach right now which was a five hour drive away, and now that we’re here, i’m glad (but it will be good to be back home, too).
Luckily my husband and I are both vacation avoiders. So glad you are having a good time at the beach, sand and sun sounds great!
#1 – Amen
#3 – Fart works well too… 🙂
But I love the comment that we would do it all over again… it’s true. No matter how stressful the trips are, after they’re over, we’d do it all over again… usually 😉
I think we will space our trips out a bit, maybe not go again until we forget about this one ;).
I didn’t know you were close enough to Columbus to go there! We live here and love it. Go 3-4 times a year. And yes, when the kids are tired, it’s a little more challenging! Glad the memories are good even if the sleep was bad!
Love the fact that you would do it all over again for the reminder they are right where they belong!!
My tip for traveling with children: only fly to visit my parents who live in Hawaii + my Mom totally helping me & watching my kids = HAPPY MOMMY
Oh, and pack LOTS of wipes!!
Yes, I can totally relate on this one. Last week at the beach I came to the conclusion….make sure to pack alcohol! ; ) Also, try not to stay on the third floor of condos…lots of stairs and unhappy people in the condo under you!
Too funny! I hope you all had a little fun though! This just makes me all the more amazed that our parents took us anywhere!
I know, with no dvd players, or technology to keep us happy. How did they do it?
They threatened to “Turn the car around”! 🙂
That looks like a fun zoo! On long trips we try to stop and break it up so they don’t go crazy but that doesn’t always work.
Glad you had fun 🙂
we took Eddie on his first roadtrip last year to Indy to visit some bloggy friends and go to the zoo. It was so fun, but yes, very VERY exhausting.
And we have been to the Columbus zoo and thought it was pretty great. But we didn’t have kids at the time 🙂
I can never sleep in a hotel room with my kids. You are brave.
In June we braved a longer drive. I brought our portable DVD player and plugged it into what used to be called the cigarette lighter. 😉 Man, how did we grow up without those things? I also agree with the snack comment. LOTS OF SNACKS! I had a ball in the trunk,too, so we could get out at rest areas and kick it around for a bit. We only did that once, but it helped. The other time my son didn’t want to play.
Well-done post as always! The butt comment made me laugh.
How right you are and you put it so perfectly.
We have been kniwn to sing every song we know just to stop the screaming on a long trip.
I hate the wheels on the bus.
Oh Wheels on the Bus, I can sing that song in about 10 million verses.
I couldn’t agree more on the hotel room saga. My new thing is I always find a hotel room where they have separate rooms. I’ve been able to find ones that aren’t much more than a regular room and so worth it! We haven’t traveled with both kids yet. We leave next Friday for 10 days with them to California. I’m already packing my flask for that 5 hour plane ride. 😉
Someone recommended benadryl as well, not sure if they meant for us or the kids ;). Can\’t wait to hear how your trip goes!
Separate rooms is a great idea, I will definitely have to do that next time, if we could have separated Sawyer from the big kids things would have been much easier.
Oh man, I remember staying in hotels as a kid, and those times were like officially sponsored freak-out fests where we could jump on the beds, stay up late, and in general go bonkers ALL THE TIME.
It wasn’t long before my parents started staying in their own room, letting my brother and I figure things out on our own.
Tip for travelling with toddlers? Ummm, dont! LOL!
We took a trip to a destination about 8 hours away from home when they were about 1. Why? We were stupid. Not even 3 hours is a good idea. We will try the longer trips when they are older.
Totally agree, I think we are staying within a 1 hour radius for the next few years!
We stayed in a hotel room about 2 years ago (me, Himself, 2 normies, 1 autie)…I still break out in a cold sweat remembering it. XXX
Oh I know, so much for fond memories ;).
We pack lots of snacks and entertainment! I had to do travel nearly 24 hours alone with a 12 month old and was so grateful for the snacks I could shove in his face when he was about to get cranky or the Ipad that he could “play” with and keep him still!
Forgot about snacks, nothing like food to keep them quiet!
My only advice? A car DVD player. I was so against it but it has saved my sanity more times than I’d like to admit!
Sleep deprived or not, your kids are adorable!
Ours broke the week before the trip. You should have heard me talking to the dealership. It HAD to be fixed or we were not going anywhere!
Don’t. (I am coming off a horrendous 6 1/2 hour non-stop flight, so perhaps I’m not the best for giving advice right now).
I\’m at the \”don\’t\” phase right now too.
Yep! >>> One child who will not go to sleep in a hotel room = all children not sleeping in a hotel room.
I’ve learned this lesson ONE too many times 🙂
This was great Jessica! Too funny!